FGCU could be without Brandon Goodwin against Jacksonville this time around. FGCU's leading scorer and rebounder was held out of Wednesday night's win at UNF because on an "in-house deal." ASUN-leading FGCU hosts second-place JU on Saturday night.(Photo: By Linwood Ferguson)

Barring a stunning plunge by the Florida Gulf Coast University men's basketball team, the Eagles have just one real Atlantic Sun contender remaining even at this early stage.

At 5-1, Jacksonville is perched just behind 6-0 FGCU in the standings. No other team is better than 3-3 in ASUN play.

Saturday night, FGCU (15-8) hosts surprising JU (11-12) in the first of two regular-season matchups between these teams.

"We're focused on staying in first place and not letting them get tied with us," FGCU senior guard Christian Terrell said.

Big ASUN favorite and defending champ FGCU already has wins at Lipscomb, which was tabbed second in the preseason polls, and at North Florida, which was picked third.

JU, whose lone ASUN loss was 91-85 at USC Upstate on Jan. 18, was picked fourth by the ASUN's coaches and those who cover conference programs.

"They're young guys," FGCU coach Joe Dooley said. "They have a nice mix. They can score. Very athletic. I would assume they're playing with a tremendous amount of confidence."

The Eagles certainly are. They've won eight straight and have their defense, transition game and swagger back after a confounding 7-8 start. There was plenty of all that in the 96-87 win at UNF on Wednesday night when the Eagles played without their best player and two part-time starters, yet still completed their first ASUN road swing at 3-0.

"Our defense has gotten to where we need it to be and our offense is following suit," said Terrell, a fourth-season starter who averages 11.1 points and 5.2 rebounds. "Hopefully when we get everybody else back, we'll be able to jell together even better."

If leading scorer and rebounder Brandon Goodwin misses his second straight game due to a disciplinary issue, FGCU likely will need another big outing from its second-leading scorer, junior guard Zach Johnson, to get past Jacksonville at home on Saturday night. Johnson led the Eagles with 19 points in FGCU's win at UNF on Wednesday night.(Photo: Linwood Ferguson)

Dooley held senior point guard Brandon Goodwin and 6-foot-10 junior center Ricky Doyle out of the UNF game for disciplinary reasons, and sophomore forward RaySean Scott missed his third game due to concussion protocol.

Scott has made progress and will be a game-time decision. It's unclear if Goodwin and/or Doyle will play. As has been his habit through this fifth season, Dooley has declined to say why they were suspended or when they will return. But he did describe the situation as "not a big deal to us."

Even without Goodwin, the Preseason ASUN Player of the Year whose 17.5-point and 5.7-rebound averages lead the Eagles, and Doyle, who has 13 starts and averages 5.7 points and 3.7 rebounds, and Scott, who has started six games and averages 5.8 points and 4.9 rebounds, the Eagles didn't miss a beat in knocking off the 3-point heavy Ospreys.

"Everybody stepped up and played very well in their absence," Terrell said.

FGCU held UNF to just 41.1 percent from the field and 16 of 47 -- yes, 47 -- from behind the 3-point line while outrebounding the Ospreys 46-28. The Eagles scored 56 paint points while shooting 55.4 percent from the field and won despite shooting just 10 treys and making four.

As was UNF and Lipscomb, JU is extremely reliant on 3-pointers. In fact, the Dolphins lead the ASUN with a 41.1 percentage from behind the arc.

"That's a great percentage," Dooley said. "They can make it in bunches, and that's something in our league you have to be able to guard. It's a big weapon. Shoot, I thought we guarded pretty well for the most part (Wednesday night) and we still gave up 16 3s."

Guarding the 3-point line is a huge deal in the ASUN.

"That's the theme for everybody in our league, really," Terrell said. "We've got to get everybody off the line. We've got to play tough defense like we have in the past. They've always been a tough out for us and hopefully we can get it done."

In coach Tony Jasick's fourth season, JU is led by 6-6 junior swingman Jace Hogan, a transfer from Navy who averages 16.2 points and has made half his 3-point attempts. Freshman guard J.D. Notae averages 16.1 points and has made 41.4 percent of his trey tries. And the Eagles know all about senior guard Devin Harris, who averages 13.1 points and 7.1 rebounds.

Jacksonville will again be one of the most physical teams that FGCU will play this season. The ASUN-leading Eagles host second-place JU on Saturday night.(Photo: By Linwood Ferguson)

"They've got three guys who can really put up points in bunches and who have obviously put up a bunch of points in conference play," Dooley said. "So we've got to get our defense ratcheted up."

In ASUN play, FGCU -- which swept JU by an average of 16 points last season -- dominates the defensive statistics. The Eagles are tops in scoring defense (63.8 ppg), field-goal defense (37.1 percent) and steals per game (8.2). At 31.3 percent, the 3-point defense rates third.

JU is very good at attacking the basket, and Dooley said the Dolphins have "a lot of offensive freedom." Like FGCU, JU also can go deep on its bench.

"We're ugly," Jasick said. "We're grindy. We've got to get it to the rim. We've got to get opportunities from the 3-point line. We've got to be a rugged, tough defensive team. That's who we are, and when we play that way and get some stops and play around the rim, we've got a chance to win some games.

"I still believe we've got a long ways to go in terms of reaching our potential, which is exciting."

That's something the Eagles and Dolphins -- both of whom have been working in lots of first-year players -- have in common.

"On a positive note, I don't think we're as good as we can be," Dooley said. "Hopefully we can start getting a feel for a rotation here soon. I also like that we've played a bunch of guys."

Asked if his team can hang at FGCU after the 76-69 home win against Stetson on Wednesday night, Jasick smiled.

"Big game," he said. "We'll find out on Saturday, won't we? Joe does a great job. Their team's going to be prepared to play. Our team's going to be prepared to play. We'll see what happens."

FGCU men (15-8, 6-0) vs. Jacksonville (11-12, 5-1)When: 7 p.m., SaturdayWhere: Alico Arena, Jacksonville Online: ESPN3 Series: Jacksonville leads 11-103-Point Shots1) Tightly guard the arc. This is always a big deal against ASUN teams, but it's especially huge here as JU leads the conference with a 41.1 percentage from behind the 3-point line. A big part of FGCU's about-face from a 7-8 start has been closing out on long-ball shooters. The Eagles really need to keep that up here. 2) Protect the ball. The Dolphins are second in ASUN play with 7.0 steals per game (behind FGCU's 8.2). One of the few remaining areas the Eagles have not gotten under control is turnovers, despite usually starting two senior guards. The 16.7 turnovers per game is dead-last in the ASUN, and the Eagles had 19 during their important 96-87 win at UNF on Wednesday night. Athletic JU shifts from man to zone and has forced 14.2 turnovers per game in ASUN matchups. It's high time the Eagles cut down on all the turnovers, especially the live ball variety that often lead to points in transition. 3) Hold down Hogan. This will be FGCU's first live look at JU 6-6 junior swingman Jace Hogan. A transfer from Navy, Hogan leads the Dolphins with a 16.2-point average and he's made half his 3-point attempts. If Hogan goes wild, FGCU likely will be in serious trouble.